Construction workers pressure Rudd govt
Labor is under pressure from its own to abolish the construction industry watchdog.
Protesting construction workers, who have gathered at the front of Parliament House in Canberra, have won the support of the ACT’s Labor Attorney-General Simon Corbell.
Mr Corbell said the federal Labor government should abolish the controversial Australian Building and Construction Commission immediately rather than wait until 2010.
“Many of these draconian and extreme powers breach the human rights standards enshrined in ACT law,” he said.
Under the present system – introduced by the previous coalition government – construction workers can be jailed for refusing to answer questions from the commission.
The Rudd government has said it will keep the commission until the end of January 2010.
It will then become a special division of the new industrial umpire, Fair Work Australia.
Mr Corbell said that was not good enough, adding the commission continued to use its powers in the territory in a manner that was contrary to respecting the human rights of workers.
He was opposed to the commission’s “star chamber” type power, which allowed it to compel witnesses to give evidence, and search for and seize documents without a warrant.
A delegation of 100 workers will present a petition, signed by more than 50,000 people, to Labor senator Gavin Marshall, who has been lobbying colleagues to limit the powers of the commission.